As of Thursday afternoon, 126 fires were currently burning in B.C. Eight of those started on Wednesday, for a total of 861 fires in B.C. since April 1.

Firefighting efforts have cost the province $204 million to date.

Emergency Management BC executive director Chris Duffy said that 6,700 people remain under evacuation orders, while 24,800 are under evacuation alerts.

Chief fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek called the past month “unprecedented” in terms of new fires, aggressive fire behaviour and hot conditions. In early July, the province saw more than 200 fires start in about 48 hours.

“We are only in early August at this point so this season is far from over,” said Skrepnek. “August is unfortunately typically one of our busiest months. This current situation could get worse before it gets better.”